Oddly, many digital camcorders come out of the box without any filter for the lens, even though all digital camcorders are capable of accepting them. Filters can be used for quite a few different effects and touches, including changing the tone of shots, helping with glare, and giving the shot a slightly fuzzier, warmer, film-like look.

In the meantime, buy and use a UV (ultraviolet light) filter for your camcorder at all times! Install it and forget about it, at least until you go to change the filter. (In fact, you can usually stack other filters on top of the UV filter.) The filter does two things: It protects the optics from damaging UV light, and it offers a barrier from scratches and spills. Plus, if the filter gets dirty or dusty or smudged, you can clean it and eventually replace it with a new one. Replacing a damaged lens, on the other hand, can be so pricey that you may opt to replace the camera instead.